Of Course
by VirtualFaerie
Summary: Don’t think about it, Longbottom. Don’t think about it. Think about… Potions homework, yeah, you need to remember potions. Hey, I’ve got potions with Ron. Ron is Ginny’s big brother. Holy. I’m going to ask Ginny out. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!


**A/N: **Someone asked me to write this! I swear it wasn't my idea… *hides* ANYWAYS! This stupidsilly fic is not beta read, as I currently don't really have one, so please don't kill me if there are any mistakes. *loffs*

**Of Course**

_By VirtualFaerie_

Neville took a deep breath and curled his fingers up into his sweaty palms, taking a step into the Great Hall.  _Keep it cool, Longbottom_, he told himself. _Just ask her all casual like, it's only to Hogsmeade after all. _

He walked slowly to the Gryffindor table, taking his usual seat down by Dean and Seamus. _Why would she say no? I haven't done anything that would make her say no._ He looked towards the other end of the table to see her with her head tipped back, eyes closed, laughing uproariously at something that Colin Creevey had said. He wanted to make her laugh that like that.

_You could even throw in a joke near the end about promising not to step on her feet this time._ He made a face at himself, and caught Dean looking at him curiously out of the corner of his eye.

"You alright, mate?" asked Dean, scooping eggs onto his plate. "You don't look so great."

"I'm fine," said Neville, grabbing some sausages. _That's exactly what I needed to hear. I don't 'look so great'. I hope she won't mind. Why would she mind? She's a nice girl… If she minds then she's obviously not worth my time, right? Gods, even if she does mind I still…_

"You sure?" said Dean, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah." Neville grabbed a sausage and took a large bite, smiling at Dean. "I'm good."

Dean shrugged.

_Oh man… I must look really bad. Maybe I should wait. Or maybe I should go back up to the dormitories and take another shower, take this gel out of my hair. Don't girls like loose hair? Or maybe they like it gelled… I forgot. Maybe I should try a shave… _Neville reached up and felt his chin. _Nah, nothing to shave.  Maybe a different shirt, green's not so good. I think blue might look better._

He looked over at her. She was wearing a black shirt underneath her robes. It made her hair look even redder than normal. Made her skin look paler and her freckles stand out more. She looked lovely. Neville heaved a loud sigh. _She's too pretty for me. She would probably laugh at me for even asking._

Seamus cleared his throat. "Something…wrong?" he asked.

"Huh?" Neville whipped his head back in their direction. "Everything is fine…" He saw the doubtful looks on their faces. He frowned. "Okay… not everything is fine."

Dean and Seamus exchanged looks. "So what is it?" asked Dean.

"Girl," muttered Neville.

"Ooooh," they said loudly.

Neville looked scared. "SHH!! Keep it down!"

Seamus grinned. "I don't know what you're worried about. There's nothing to them really…" Seamus furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, there's lots to them. You can hardly tell what they're thinking, much less what they want. You feel like you're walking on eggshells. They get mad so easy, about the stupidest things, and then get even madder for you not knowing what it was you did wrong. They're really complicated actually."

Neville shoved his plate aside and let his forehead hit the table. He wasn't so hungry anymore.

"You aren't helping," Dean informed Seamus. "This is the part of the conversation where we're supposed to be supportive and tell him that nothing could go wrong – that any girl would be lucky to have him and all that yup-yup."

"But there's lots that could go wrong.."

Dean whapped Seamus and Neville groaned into the table.

"Errr," Seamus said, rubbing his head gently. "This girl, whoever she is, I don't know why she wouldn't say yes to whatever it is that you're asking. You're a…" he coughed, "nice guy and all…."

_This is sad. They aren't making me feel any better. They get girls so easily… _

"Yeah," Dean interjected. "Girls like nice guys."

"No they don't," Seamus said. "They like 'bad' guys…for some...odd reason." Dean hit Seamus again. "OW!" he said, cradling his head and glaring at Dean. "That _hurt_."

"Good," said Dean, rubbing his hand. "It was supposed to." Dean turned to Neville. "I think, the best thing that you could do, is to get go and get it over with. Don't think about what you're going to do or say, just…go."

Neville looked up at him piteously. _Don't think about it? I can't do that!_ "I don't know if I can do that."

"Yeah you can, think about something else on your way over there. Like your grandmother kissing Snape," said Dean, grinning.

"GODS!" said Neville, slapping at his eyes. "I really _don't _want to think about that. Thanks _a lot_, Dean." Neville shuddered. _Won't be able to look at Snape or Grandma for awhile without feeling like puking. Ew. Ew. Ew. _

"Anytime, anytime," he said, going back to his breakfast.

Seamus looked over at Neville. "He's right you know. You can't think about it too much, you'll scare yourself. Just go do it."

Neville rubbed his eyes and looked down at Ginny Weasley.  Most of her friends had left the hall, and she had a book propped up against a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Seamus followed his gaze and grinned at Neville. "Ah, I see who you have your eye on."

"Huh?" Neville said, tearing his eyes away from her.

"Ginny."

Neville blushed. "Er..yeah…"

"Well! Go over there. Her friends are gone," said Seamus, shaking his head.

"Uh, right, good idea," said Neville, getting up from his seat and straightening his shirt. He patted his hair and then walked down to the other end of the table, looking back nervously at Seamus and Dean.  They gave him a thumbs-up. He turned back around and kept walking. _Don't think about it, Longbottom. Don't think about it. Think about… Potions homework, yeah, you need to remember potions. Hey, I've got potions with Ron. Ron is Ginny's big brother. Holy. I'm going to ask Ginny out. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!_

"Neville? Are you okay?" Ginny's voice broke into his thoughts. "You look like something's bothering you."

Neville stopped. "Yeah… I'm fine." He smiled weakly. "How're you?" he asked, gripping the back of a chair and sliding it out loudly. The squeaking of the legs on the floor made Ginny wince, but she smiled back at him. Neville smacked himself mentally and sat down quickly.

"I'm pretty good," she said. Then she motioned to her book. "Just studying up for Herbology, we've got a test today."

"Oh?" Neville brightened. "I'm good at Herbology – anything I can help with?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Thanks, I'll have to get you to help me some at lunch."

_Good job. So far, so good. You deserve a nice chocolate frog, Longbottom_. "So…" Neville said, rubbing his fingers against the grain of the wood on the table. "You going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" _AH! AH! How did that pop out?! Go back in! Go back in! _Why _did I say that? I'm nutters. Longbottom is nutters._

"I think so," she said, brushing a tendril of hair out of her face. _I wish I was the one pushing that hair back. I bet it's soft… It looks soft_.

"Would you…wouldyouliketogotoHogsmeadewithme?" Neville asked quickly. _Now is the time where I get up and bang my head against the wall. Repeatedly. Twice. Damnit._

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "What was that?" _Oh no… She doesn't want to go with me. I'm so screwed. What ever made me think she would say yes anyways?_

"I, uh, wanted to know if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me," said Neville nervously.

She beamed at him. "Of course, I'll go with you!"

_Of course, she'll… WAIT? WHAT?! Go with me?! Did I hear that right? Maybe I should ask her to say it again… No, then you'll sound to anxious. Gods, don't be such an idiot, Longbottom. But! HA! She said YES! She said "Of course"! Yeah. Go Longbottom! Go Longbottom!_

"Great," said Neville, thoroughly relieved. "See you at lunch then? To help with that Herbology?"

"Yeah," she said. "That'd be great."

Neville smiled and stood up, making his way back to Dean and Seamus. _Oh, yeah. Of course she'll go with me. Of course._

"So, what did she say?" asked Dean.

"She said yes, of course," said Neville proudly.

Seamus grinned. "I told you to just not think about it!"

Dean looked at Seamus. "No… I said that."

"Are you sure? I thought I had said it."

"Well, if you did say it, I said it first."

Neville shook his head. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my old Herbology notes to help Ginny study later." Dean and Seamus raised their eyebrows as Neville walked off,  a slight spring in his step.

Draco brushed by him. "Move your fat arse out of my way, Longbottom," he hissed.

Neville smiled at him. "Hello, Malfoy. My,  you're looking awful today. Did you know that gel makes your hair look green?" Draco's eyebrows furrowed and he felt at his hair. Neville walked away.

_Not even Malfoy is going to put a dent in _this_ good mood._


End file.
